1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc carrier for an optical disc drive. In particular, the present invention relates to a disc carrier for an optical disc drive with improved rotating stability.
2. Description of Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings illustrate an optical disc drive with a conventional disc carrier. The optical disc drive comprises a spindle motor including a disc carrier 10, a clamping device 20, a shaft 30, a stator assembly 40, a bearing seat 50, and a base 60. The disc carrier 10 is a rotor of the spindle motor and includes a hole 101 to which an engaging member 11a is securely mounted. The engaging member 11a includes an axial tube 111a with an axial hole 112a. Plural support blocks 12a are formed, by means of punching, on a top face of the disc carrier 10 for supporting plural clamping members 22 of the clamping device 20. The clamping device 20 includes a central hole 21, plural clamping members 22, and plural elastic elements 23.
An outer periphery of the shaft 30 is tightly fitted to an inner periphery of the axial hole 112a of the axial tube 111a of the engaging member 111a, and the inner periphery of the central hole 21 of the clamping device 20 is tightly fitted around an outer periphery of the axial tube 111a of the engaging member 11a. The disc carrier 10 and the clamping device 20 are coupled by the shaft 30 to the stator assembly 40, the bearing seat 50, and the base 60 to thereby form a spindle motor for an optical disc drive. An optical disc can be releasably clamped by the clamping members 22 of the clamping device 20, and the data stored in the optical disc can be read through stable rotation of the disc carrier.
In the industry, the engaging member 11a is widely used to assist in assembly of the disc carrier 10 with the claiming device 20 and the shaft 30. However, it was found that the engaging member 11a was apt to incline relative to the disc carrier 10 and thus caused imbalance. Further, the engaging length between the axial tube 111a of the engaging member 11a and the shaft 30 is insufficient to provide reliable balanced rotation of the disc carrier 10 when the shaft 30 turns. Further, formation of the hole 101 of the disc carrier 10 and the assembling procedure of mounting the engaging member 11a to the hole 101 of the disc carrier 10 increase the overall manufacture time. Further, the assembling procedure is complicated, as alignment of the clamping members 22 of the clamping device 20 with the support blocks 12a of the disc carrier 10 is required.